Annali dell'Università degli Studi di Ferrara ISSN 1824 - 2707 Museologia Scientifica e Naturalistica volume 12/1 (2016) pp. 277 - 284 Atti del 7° Convegno Nazionale di Archeozoologia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15160/1824-2707/1333 a cura di U. Thun Hohenstein, M. Cangemi, I. Fiore, J. De Grossi Mazzorin ISBN 978-88-906832-2-0 Marco M.G. Masseti 2Università di Firenze, Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica, Laboratori di Antropologia ed Etnologia, IUCN Deer Specialist Group. Observations on the historical distribution of the red deer, Cervus elaphus L., 1758, in the wood of Mesola (Ferrara), and in the Po delta (north-eastern Italy) Dati sulla diffusione storica del cervo, Cervus elaphus L., 1758. della Mesola nel delta padano (Italia nord-orientale) Summary – Several authors currently regard the red deer of the Mesola wood (Gran Bosco della Mesola o Boscone della Mesola) of the abbey of Pomposa, as the only endemic deer of the Italian peninsula. However, certain evidence on the historic distribution of the species points to a different situation. In reality, the Mesola dunes, where the deer park was established by the d’Este princes in the late Middle Ages, originated from the geological settlement of the mouth of the river Po not prior to the 13th century AD. Thus, the red deer may not have been autochthonous but introduced after this event from abroad. However, an eastwards diffusion of the species, progressively colonizing the new coastlines from the hinterland of the Ferrara plain, just a few meters westwards of the dune spits, cannot be ruled out. Few osteological remains and literary data on the diffusion of this species are available in the territory of the Po delta from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Riassunto – Osservazioni sulla diffusione storica del cervo della Mesola, Cervus elaphus L., 1758 (Ferrara), e nel delta padano (Italia nord-orientale). Vari autori considerano il cervo del Gran Bosco della Mesola o Boscone della Mesola della Prepositura Pomposana, nel delta del Po ferrarese, come l’ultima popolazione endemica della specie dell’intera penisola italiana. Dati sulla distribuzione storica dell’animale farebbero invece propendere per una diversa situazione. In realtà le dune dove, nel basso Medioevo, fu creato un parco per cervi dai duchi di casa d’Este, sono state originate dall’assestamento della foce del Po non prima dell’XIII secolo d.C. Come conseguenza di ciò, i cervi vi potrebbero non essere autoctoni ma esservi stati introdotti in seguito. Anche se non si può escludere una diffusione verso est della specie che avrebbe progressivamente colonizzato le nuove linee di costa, dall’interno della pianura ferrarese, pochi metri più a ovest dei cordoni dunali. Rari reperti osteologici e dati di letteratura sulla diffusione della specie sono disponibili per il delta padano dalla preistoria al Medioevo Key words: Red deer, Cervus elaphus, Mesola Wood, Po delta, North-eastern Italy Parole chiave: Cervo nobile, Cervus elaphus, Bosco della Mesola, Delta del Po, Italia nord-orientale IntroductIon deer, Cervus elaphus L., 1758, which live in the Mesola reserve derive their name from the The natural reserve of the Mesola wood, locality in which they have survived up to the officially called as Gran Bosco della Mesola present. In the Italian peninsula this is, possibly, and/or Boscone della Mesola is located in the the only population of the cervid to have survived Po delta, in the namesake municipality of the deforestation and persecution by man, living in the province of Ferrara, in north-eastern Italy. The small forest of the Po delta (Mattioli et al. 2003) castle of Mesola, one of the medieval delizie of (Fig. 1). Mesola deer are regarded as a population the Este family, is instead at a certain distance of great relevance for zoogeography, ecology, from this reserve. Its construction commenced conservation and local cultural perspectives in the year 1578 at the wish of Alfonso II, the (Lovari, Nobili 2010). Several authors, such as last descendant of the house of Este. The delizia Castelli (1941), Mattioli (1990), Mattioli et al. comprises the castle and the adjacent enclosed (2001), Ferretti and Mattioli (2012), currently wood, but it has nothing to do with the present- consider them as the only endemic deer of the day Gran Bosco, which is the surviving remnant Italian peninsula, thus regarding them as the of the forest of the abbey of Pomposa. The red sole survivors of the autochthonous Italian deer 278 M.M.G. Masseti continuous consanguinity (cf. Feldhamer et al. 1985; Kaji et al. 1988; Mattioli 1993). According to Stefano Mattioli (1990, 1991a, 1991b, 2003, 2010), possibly the greatest current expert on the deer of Mesola, this population has been isolated for centuries in a restricted area of low trophic production, where it has probably been present at length with animals of reduced stature and a very simplified architecture of the stag antlers (Mattioli 1993). Deer can in fact develop extremes in phenotype depending on the availability of material resources for ontogenetic development. Figure 1. Several authors currently regard the red deer of the As explained by Geist (1987), environmental Mesola wood (Ferrara, north-eastern Italy) as the only endemic deer of the Italian peninsula, but certain evidence on the historic paedomorphic dwarfs are one extreme, that is distribution of the species points to a different situation. These efficiency phenotypes characterised by slow deer display a summer spotted coat throughout their lives (photo growth, small adult body size, low reproductive by Paolo Cortesi). output, low behavioural vigour, and so on. These are indeed known as “maintenance phenotypes”. (Ghigi 1911, 1950; Castelli 1941; Riedel 1991; Mesola red deer have been defined as Mattioli 1990, 2003, 2010; Lovari 1993; Hmwe “maintenance dwarfs with paedomorphic antlers” et al. 2006; Hajji et al. 2007; Zachos et al. 2009; (Geist 1999) and their small body size, their low Ferretti, Mattioli 2012). These ungulates show sexual dimorphism and their simple antlers are certain morphological peculiarities: small body thought to be related to the limited production size, and reduced sexual dimorphism (Mattioli of the coastal sub-Mediterranean woodland on 1990, 1993; Mattioli et al. 2003; Mattioli, Mauri sandy soil (Mattioli 1993; Mattioli et al. 2003; 2010). The mean weight of adult males is 110 Ferretti, Mattioli 2012). Furthermore, Lovari kg and of adult hinds 74 kg as compared with and Nobili (2010) observe that, not surprisingly, the central European mean of 160-200 kg and 90- this population shows an extremely reduced 110 kg respectively. Moreover, the height at the genetic variability, a high level of inbreeding withers of the deer of Mesola is proportionately and a very low productivity. The existence of inferior to that of other conspecific populations: a mitochondrial DNA genotype has been shown a slight phenomenon of shortening of the limbs with a sequence significantly different from those means that the height at the withers is equivalent of all other populations of red deer (Hmwe et al. on average to 58% of the head-trunk length, as 2006; Lorenzini et al. 2005), suggesting that it against a norm of 63% (Mattioli et al. 2003; represents an independent unit of conservation Mattioli 2010). All these morphological features (Moritz 1994), which merits conservation are typical of deer populations that have adapted measures (Zachos, Hartl 2011; Ferretti, Mattioli to live in poor habitats. Another prevailing 2012). Detailed analyses showed that the Mesola phenotypic character can be identified in the red deer had 35-40 calves per 100 hinds per year persistent spotting of the summer coat, still on average (as opposed to a usual figure of 50- visible in the adult individuals. 70 calves), in addition to revealing slow body growth and delayed antler development, with Red deer from areas of low trophIc some antlerless yearlings and subadults and with productIon adult antlers often lacking the bez tine and the crown (Mattioli 1990, 1993; Mattioli et al. 2003; In the genus Cervus L., 1758, the reduction in size Zachos et al. 2009). and the simplified antler architecture have often The Mesola red deer antlers are even more been interpreted as a consequence of prolonged simplified than those of red deer from other poor isolation in restricted areas of low trophic habitats, such as the Sardinian maquis scrub or production, combined with the effects of genetic the highlands of Scotland (Mattioli 1993; Zachos bottlenecks (founder effect), and of a serious and et al. 2009). Considering only adult stags of 10 Observations on the historical distribution of the red deer, Cervus elaphus L., 1758, in the wood of Mesola 279 (Ferrara), and in the Po delta (north-eastern Italy) years and older, their trophy scarcely exceeds Mesola red deer have undergone several severe 8 tines (Mattioli 1990, 1991b, 1993). Often the bottlenecks, and their level of genetic diversity is bez tine and the crown are missing (Mattioli even lower than that of C. e. corsicanus and among 1991b, 1993; Mattioli et al. 2003). Similar the lowest found in this species (Zachos, Hartl antler phenotypes have been observed in other 2011). Together with the Tyrrhenian and Barbary deer populations which lived in poor trophic red deer, the Mesola population boasts a unique conditions, such as that which survived on the genetic lineage, although it is not acknowledged small island of Lampedusa, in the Sicilian channel taxonomically (Zachos, Hartl 2011). (Italy), between the last years of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century (Masseti, Zava 2002a, The red deer In the Po delta regIon In 2002b). Analogous phenotypic patterns were also hIstorIc tImes: osteologIcal evIdence and observed in the relic population of red deer that lIterary references possibly still survives in the peninsula of Sithonia (Chalkidiki, Greece) (cf.